Giancarlo Esposito, foreground, as Gus in "Breaking Bad." Esposito is coming to Boulder next weekend for the Moondance Film Festival, where he will be teaching an acting workshop, as well as running a Q&A about his independent film, "Gospel Hill." (Courtesy photo)

Special features: A celebrity master class on acting for TV with Giancarlo Esposito and a screening of his film, "Gospel Hill," starring Samuel L. Jackson, Danny Glover, Angela Bassett and Julia Stiles. "Gospel Hill" screens at 7 p.m. Sept. 27 in the Columbine Theater and will be followed by a networking reception with Esposito, 9-10 p.m. in the Pine St. Patio room. His acting workshop is 2-4 p.m. Sept. 27 in the executive conference room.

Moondance highlights

• "Gospel Hill": This feature narrative film, directed by Giancarlo Esposito, is set in a small South Carolina town 40 years after an unsolved murder whose mystery lies in the hands of the town's racist sheriff. Starring Esposito, Angela Bassett, Samuel L. Jackson, Danny Glover and Julia Stiles. Screens at 7 p.m. Saturday, Columbine Theater.

• "The Butterfly's Dream": This dramatic narrative film from Turkey follows a bet between two young poets trying to win a girl's heart in the '40s. Screens at 8:10 p.m. Friday, Columbine Theater.

• "Look Up!": This feature documentary by George Barnes looks at the world's most dangerous environmental programs. "With the environmental concerns of the Boulder community, this will hit a nerve with a lot of people," says Moondance's Pamela Clifton Malzbender. Screens at 8:05 p.m. Friday, Alpine Theater.

• "Change the Earth": This five-minute Canadian music video touches on the topics of climate change and extinction. Screens at 8:05 p.m. Friday, Alpine Theater.

There are few modern bad guys as unnerving as Gustavo "Gus" Fring, the calm and powerful king of meth who ran TV's "Breaking Bad" drug ring behind the curtain of his fast-food chains.

Off the set, the actor seems to be everything except the character who made him famous, the evil man "hiding in plain sight."

In fact, Giancarlo Esposito is coming to Boulder to promote his new film, which he created in hopes of ultimately sparking positive social change.

That's not the side of Gus you're used to.

Esposito has gone from "Breaking Bad" to putting together good, all the way down to his email signature: "Stay present, spread love."

Meet Esposito up close at the 15th Moondance International Film Festival, which runs Friday through Sept. 28 at the Hotel Boulderado.

The festival aims to support indie films that collectively address social change and benefit society.

That's also not a side of Hollywood you're used to.

Moondance, which started in Boulder and moved to New York and Connecticut before returning to Boulder a few years ago, was voted the third-most important film festival in the world, after Cannes and Sundance, in one Filmmakers Alliance poll. And MovieBytes.com calls Moondance one of the top 10 film fests worth the entry fee.

Esposito lived in Connecticut, where he learned about the festival several years ago and decided to participate, but because of a hectic schedule, he didn't solidify his involvement until this year. Now the festival is based in Boulder and Esposito's in Texas.

"Of course, now I have to travel across the country to make it happen," he says with a laugh of his first visit to Boulder.

He says he supports the spirit of the festival: cultivating young people in the creative arts and supporting movies that make a difference. The Moondance Festival is expected to draw more than 1,000 participants, often many film and theater students from the University of Colorado.

"A lot of movies hit the high notes and give you the excitement," Esposito says.

Actor Giancarlo Esposito will be in Boulder next week for the Moondance International Film Festival. (Moondance International Film Festival / Courtesy photo)

But he says he decided to stretch beyond acting into directing to tell a different kind of story, "a slow burn."

"Something that will make you think a day after, and even a few days after, and really work on your consciousness," he says.

In fact, Moondance's Pamela Clifton Malzbender says the festival aims to both entertain and educate.

"All of the films have a powerful narrative or some educational message, so they are helping contribute to a healthier society," she says.

The public is invited to all events, which will feature workshops, parties and more than 50 different films, including Esposito's film, "Gospel Hill." The film, which has won nine awards at various film festivals, stars Samuel L. Jackson, Julia Stiles, Angela Bassett and Danny Glover.

"Gospel Hill" tells the story of a former sheriff in a southern town, an unsolved murder, racism and the Civil Rights movement. But it's not antagonistic, Esposito says. "It's about healing," he says.

The film was inspired by his own experiences with racism in the '60s. Esposito was born in Italy, the son of an Italian father and African-American mother. When he moved to the United States when he was 5, he says, "no one understood this half-white, half-black kid with brown skin and curly hair who only spoke Italian."

Esposito will do a lot of speaking in Boulder. After Saturday's screening of "Gospel Hill," Esposito will stay for two hours to talk to attendees. He also will host an acting workshop at the festival and will receive the Legacy Award, a lifetime achievement award. In addition to "Breaking Bad," Esposito's career has spanned many Broadway shows, Spike Lee films ("Malcom X," "Do The Right Thing"), animation ("The Jungle Book," as the voice of Akeela) and an independent historical drama ("Political Treason").

He won the 2012 Critics Choice Award and garnered a 2012 Emmy nomination for his work with "Breaking Bad."

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